Dead Wood

I remember when I was a boy, my twin brother and I were in the front yard playing baseball and we hit a ball very hard and it accidentally broke a branch on one of the maple trees in the front yard.  Normally, we would not have thought too much about it, but this was a new, young maple tree that our dad had just planted in the yard and he was pretty particular about it doing well.  My brother and I immediately set a plan to prop the broken limb back up to where it would not be noticed as ‘being broken’.  Unfortunately, within two days the broken limb was found out.  Guess how?   Yep, the leaves on the branch began to curl and wither. 

You see, my brother and I thought that we could prop up the branch and it’s ‘brokenness’ would not be discovered.  What we had not given thought to was the fact that the broken branch had now been cut off from the life-giving sap of the tree!  Within days, the branch showed that it was dead.

Jesus tells us in John 15 that we are His disciples and that our life comes from abiding in Him.  Just as a branch abides in the vine [and receives it's life and fruitfulness from abiding], so we must abide in Him.  Jesus is our life.  It is only as we abide in Him that meaning, and purpose, and hope comes to our lives.  God’s life flows through Him INTO us when we receive Him as our Lord and Savior.  If we are not connected to Him, it will show up in our lives.  We cannot fake it.  As we live in Him moment by moment each day, His life and vitality flows into our lives.

"Lord, teach me what it means to abide in You…"

Crocodiles

I was reading today about a particular, small village in India.  There is a tradition that when new converts go down to the lake in order to be baptized, that a group of other believers stand on the shore clapping their hands.  I, at first, thought this was the older believer’s way of applauding the new believer’s step of faith [by following Christ in Christian baptism].  While there was an aspect to their clapping that was celebratory, there was also another very important reason for their clapping.

We are told that, in this particular lake where the new converts go for their baptism, there are lots of crocodiles.  The older believers stand on the shore "clapping" in order to keep the ,crocodiles away from those being immersed in Christian baptism.  Amazing!  "Clapping" to keep the crocodiles away from the new believers as they step into the waters!

As I read the story, I was profoundly touched by the dedication and sincerity of these new believers.  They were going to go through with their Christian baptism, and public testimony of their new found faith in Jesus Christ, despite the dangers that lurked in the waters where they were being baptized.  I was deeply impressed by their courage to "make a stand for Jesus".

Would I be willing to step into waters like this to declare my love for Jesus?

Confidence

I was watching Tiger Wood’s new conference after winning his seventh consecutive golf tournament.  He talked about the ‘mindset’ that winning brings to your game.  He said sometimes your game is off, the weather is bad, things are not going as you expect…but you have learned what it takes to win, and so you adjust and fight through those difficulties knowing that you can still come out on top.

One of the statements that really spoke to me was when he said, "Winning breeds winning.  When you are winning you learn how to win, and what it takes to win.  And, winning builds your confidence."  Life has taught all of us that truth.  It is much easier to keep winning when you have been winning.  When you are losing, that breeds self-doubt.  When you are achieving your goals, seeing things happen, and moving forward in your life pursuits, it builds confidence and a winning attitude. 

"Lord, help me to take the small steps today that I need for victory!  Be at work within me through the Holy Spirit to build my confidence and possess a winning attitude in my life!" 

No Greater Sky

Last evening the band our youngest son [Matt] plays in, No Greater Sky, performed a concert at our church.  There were about 85-90 people in attendance.  They did a great job!  It was an awesome service and I know that many people were blessed by the music and the atmosphere of worship.  I look forward to the time when they will be able to return and do another concert.

Tonight they are in Nashville, TN, where they have another concert scheduled for Saturday evening.  It is such a blessing as a parent to see your children grown and doing so well in their personal and spiritual lives.  I give all the praise to God!

"Lord, thank you for our sons and how you are working in their lives…"

Self-Leadership

If I am to be an effective leader in whatever I am doing, then I must take good care of myself!  In 1 Samuel 30 we see David facing a crisis.  One day, after returning home from battle, David finds that things have taken a severe turn for the worse at home.  Immediately, he has to decide where to direct his leadership energies.  In 1 Samuel 30:6 we read, "David strengthened himself in the Lord, his God."  At this most critical and difficult time in his life, David realized that he must lead himself before he could give adequate leadership to others.

Are you taking care of yourself?  Daniel Goleman, author of the best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence, contends that "exceptional leaders distinquish themselves because they know their strengths, their limits, and their weaknesses."   When we look at the life of Jesus we see intense periods of ministry quickly followed by times of reflection, prayer, fasting, personal retreats, and solitude.  This is self-leadership!   This is what it means to take care of yourself.

Some years ago a prominent Christian leader left the ministry altogether.  In an article written about him the author said, "He sank like a rock, beaten up, burned out, angry and depressed, no good to himself and no good to the people he loved."  Many people wonder what happened to this man…all we know is that he collapsed on the inside!   Are you taking care of yourself?  You are a very valuable person…to your spouse, to your children, to your friends, to those who care about your life!  Taking care of yourself is one of the best gifts you can give yourself, and your family!

Psalm 46:10, "Be STILL and know that I am God…"

Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, & Tiger Woods

What do Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Tiger Woods all have in common?  They are all intensely focused individuals!  In the midst of their game you can look them in the eye and see the focused determination to win!  They are all about winning and succeeding.  They realize that you must stay extremely focused on the goal if you want to achieve. 

That is a valuable lesson I can learn from them.  If I want to achieve maximum impact for Jesus Christ I must have a consuming focus!  I must find creative ways to bring all of my energies, resources, talents, and leadership skills together so that they are focused towards the great goal of introducing people to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in that relationship with Him!

I must be careful about trying to do too many things and finding myself scattered and distracted.  The apostle Paul used to say, "This ONE thing I do…"  He was a focused, passionate man.  And the amazing things God was able to do through his life is a testimony to that focus.  I want to be that kind of disciple, also!

"Lord, give me a consuming focus in my life…"

Fireplace

I’ve had a good day today.  Mary Lou and I worked at the church office most of the morning getting our notebooks together for the 301 Class we’re teaching tomorrow.  We went to Fazoli’s for lunch and have been at home this afternoon relaxing and enjoying the day. 

This evening we put a fire in the fireplace and have been enjoying it.  They say we’ve got wintry weather coming our way tomorrow, but for right now it’s nice and cozy inside.  The smell and sounds of a fire are so serene.  We’re glad the home we’re living in now has a fireplace that we can enjoy.  It helps us look forward to the cold weather!

Hope you all have a great weekend…

TGIF

I’ve had a good day today reading, studying, and writing.  My thoughts are together for Sunday and I am rejoicing about that.  I went out this afternoon and did some visiting and really enjoyed connecting with some of our members.  Tonight my wife and I went to Logan’s [Steakhouse] and had a delicious dinner with my wife’s folks.  It was a nice, relaxing time.  Tomorrow we’ll go down to the office and put together our notebooks for the 301 Class which meets Sunday afternoon.

We are home now and settled in for the evening.  It’s been a very good week and I thank the Lord for that.  I’m looking forward to Sunday’s service.  I’m trusting that lives will be changed!

Go Colts…[in the AFC Championship game]!

The Coffee Cup

Have you ever had an experience like this?  Some time ago, I got up early in the morning and grabbed the coffee pot and began pouring my morning coffee.  Guess what???  I was still somewhat sleepy when I put my coffee cup on the kitchen counter and didn’t realize that it was not turned ‘right side up’!  Duh!  Before I knew it coffee was running all over the counter and off on the kitchen floor.  After I shrieked…I began mopping up the coffee as fast as I could.

After I got everything cleaned up, I leaned against the kitchen counter and started laughing.  It was great!  I couldn’t believe I could do such a thing as riduculous as that.  You should have been there [although I'm glad you weren't]!  It was really hilarious!  I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life, but this one really topped them all.

You know it’s good to laugh at ourselves sometimes.  It helps lighten things up.  We can get too serious about everything.  The Bible says, "Laughter is good medicine."  I’m glad for the times that I can laugh at myself.  I truly do marvel at the grace of God which is able to work through me.

Take time to laugh today…it will be good for you!

The 360 Degree Leader

Tonight we began our journey through John Maxwell’s book, The 360 Degree Leader.  It is an excellent book on how we can give leadership in our organization (a church, a school, a business, etc.) wherever we are.  We do not have to "be at the top" in order to give leadership or exert influence.  We may be at the bottom of our organization, or somewhere in the middle, it does not matter.  We can give positive leadership in whatever place we find ourselves.  What matters is character and relationships.  It is a great reminder that we can "bloom where we are planted".  We do not have to have a "title", an "office", or a special "position" in order to give leadership.  I am encouraged by that.

I am excited about the study and am looking forward to future studies.  I want my leadership skills to improve and am going to "soak this book up".  I’m so glad that I don’t have to wait for anything to improve, or get better, or look for that higher position…but can exert great and meaningful leadership right where I am at.

Grab the book if you get a chance…